15 Hotels For The Trip Of A Lifetime

A phenomenal hotel can turn a vacation into an extraordinary experience that you will remember for the rest of your life.

Fodor's recently revealed its 2012 Hotel Awards, which looked at the best hotels for the Trip of a Lifetime. They also issued awards for hotels in several other categories, like New & Noteworthy, Global Icons, and Trendsetters.

From Siem Reap to the Maldives, most of these locations are remote and exotic, but some are closer to home, in the Caribbean or Alaska. Besides the requisite luxury amenities and facilities, these hotels offer unique experiences that take advantage of their natural surroundings, from elephant trekking in northern Thailand to swimming with whale sharks in the Maldives.